PORTLAND, Ore. (Legal Newsline) - Vigilnet and an Oregon county outfitted a man arrested for domestic violence with electronic monitoring but failed to take steps to prevent him from committing a murder days later.
A lawsuit was filed Feb. 20 in Oregon federal court against Washington County Jail and other defendants, including Vigilnet America LLC, LMG Holdings Inc., Oregon Judicial Department, and the State of Oregon.
The plaintiff is the estate of Lenin Rosas Hernandez, represented by Jaime Delgado Hernandez. The case alleges violation of civil rights and wrongful death and demands punitive damages.
The lawsuit revolves around the circumstances leading to the death of Lenin Rosas Hernandez. The complaint states that defendants were responsible for monitoring individuals released from custody with electronic monitoring devices.
One such individual was Carlos Jimenez-Vargas who was indicted on multiple serious criminal charges including domestic violence. Gabriela Jimenez, Mr. Jimenez-Vargas’ wife, and her sister Lenin Rosas Hernandez were the alleged victims.
Vigilnet provided electronic monitoring while Jimenez-Vargas was freed from custody. However, no one ever designated restricted areas that would alert authorities as to Jimenez-Vargas' location, the suit says.
On Nov. 16, 2022, Jimenez-Vargas was at Gabriela's home for 50 minutes before killing her and Hernandez, the suit says. He then shot himself.
The plaintiff's attorneys are John M. Coletti and Hala J. Gores.